Far longer than I expected.
According to Sylph and Axell, reaching Helios Reach should take around two or three days depending on the route, weather, and monster activity.
Well...
It had already been two days.
And honestly?
The trip wasn't getting any better.
If anything, it kept getting worse.
We got lost three separate times.
Ran into monster nests twice.
Almost drove straight into the territory of a giant sand worm.
And somehow managed to attract enough monsters that Volt started calling us "a mobile raid event."
The worst part?
He wasn't entirely wrong.
The wasteland stretched endlessly in every direction.
Dry rocks.
Dead trees.
Dust storms.
Low-level monsters.
And occasionally something much, much worse.
Just this morning we spotted a Raid Boss in the distance.
A giant skeletal wyvern flying across the horizon.
Thankfully it never noticed us.
If it had...
Our day would've become significantly more complicated.
The T-80 could probably survive.
Blaze could probably survive.
Volt somehow always survived.
But me?
I'd rather not test my luck.
For now our goal was simple.
Survive.
Reach Helios Reach.
Restock supplies.
Figure out why Resistance Headquarters wasn't answering.
And hopefully avoid getting arrested by the Empire.
Simple.
Very simple.
...Actually no.
Not simple at all.
I sighed while staring toward the horizon from the top of the tank.
The sky was clear today.
The sun slowly moving across the wasteland.
For a brief moment everything felt peaceful.
Then—
A voice suddenly came from behind me.
"You're thinking too much."
I nearly jumped.
"GAH—"
I spun around immediately.
"Blaze?!"
The man blinked.
"...Yes?"
"Don't do that!"
"How many times do I have to tell you?!"
Blaze looked genuinely confused.
"I walked here."
"You appeared!"
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
Blaze thought about it.
"...Maybe."
I groaned.
One day this guy was going to give me a heart attack.
Blaze casually sat beside me on top of the tank.
Meanwhile the T-80 continued rumbling forward beneath us.
For a few moments neither of us spoke.
Then Blaze glanced toward me.
"So."
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"You look bored."
"I'm not bored."
"Deep in thought then."
"...Maybe."
He nodded as if that confirmed everything.
Then casually added,
"You should relax more."
The way he said it sounded almost teasing.
I stared at him.
"Relax?"
"Yes."
"We're traveling through Empire territory."
"Yes."
"The Resistance isn't responding."
"Yes."
"We've almost been eaten three times."
"Technically four."
"That doesn't help!"
Blaze shrugged.
"I still think you should relax."
I couldn't even argue anymore.
Somehow he always made everything sound simple.
Maybe because he genuinely wasn't worried.
Or maybe because nothing seemed capable of worrying him.
Honestly...
I wasn't sure which answer was scarier.
I leaned back against the armor plating.
The silver good-luck charm Sylph gave me lightly swung from my rifle beside me.
I glanced at it briefly.
The small charm reflected sunlight.
A reminder of the village.
Of Sylph and Axell.
Of the peaceful few days we spent there.
It already felt distant somehow.
My thoughts drifted again.
Back toward the Resistance.
The silence from Headquarters continued bothering me.
Every day that passed made it worse.
Normally we would've received something by now.
A message.
A report.
A signal.
Anything.
Instead—
Nothing.
Just silence.
An uncomfortable silence.
I tightened my grip on the rifle slightly.
Blaze noticed.
"Still thinking about Headquarters?"
"...Yeah."
He remained quiet.
So I continued.
"It's weird."
"Maybe."
"No, seriously."
I looked toward him.
"The Resistance always responds."
"Even when communication is bad."
"Even when we're far away."
"Someone always answers."
Blaze nodded slowly.
"And now nobody is."
"Exactly."
The words felt heavier once spoken aloud.
For a moment I imagined different possibilities.
Equipment failure.
Communication blackout.
An attack.
An Empire operation.
Or something even worse.
The more I thought about it—
The less I liked it.
Blaze looked toward the horizon.
"Then we'll find out."
His answer was simple.
Direct.
Almost annoyingly simple.
But somehow—
It helped.
A little.
Maybe because worrying endlessly wouldn't change anything.
Eventually we'd reach someone.
Eventually we'd learn the truth.
Until then—
All we could do was keep moving forward.
A loud voice suddenly interrupted us.
"CONTACT FRONT!"
Volt's voice echoed from below.
Immediately both Blaze and I stood.
The mood changed instantly.
I grabbed my rifle.
"What happened?!"
Volt pointed ahead.
A massive creature slowly walked across the wasteland.
Four legs.
Thick armored hide.
At least thirty meters tall.
A glowing level marker floated above it.
Mid-Level Boss.
The giant creature moved lazily across the terrain.
Not aggressive.
Just wandering.
Still—
Nobody wanted to fight it.
Volt immediately turned the tank.
"Going around."
"Good idea," I said.
The boss was dangerous.
Not because we couldn't beat it.
But because fighting it would attract attention.
And attention was exactly what we were trying to avoid.
For nearly an hour we carefully navigated around the creature's territory.
Thankfully it never noticed us.
Eventually the monster disappeared behind distant cliffs.
Volt let out a relieved breath.
"See?"
"We're professionals."
The moment he finished speaking—
A group of low-level mobs emerged from behind a rock formation.
Directly in our path.
I stared.
Volt stared.
Blaze stared.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Then the mobs charged.
A few seconds later they were nothing more than dust and experience points.
Volt sighed dramatically.
"As I was saying."
"We are professionals."
The journey continued.
Hour after hour.
The wasteland slowly began changing.
The terrain became flatter.
The roads became more defined.
Occasionally we even spotted merchant caravans in the distance.
Signs of civilization.
Signs that Helios Reach was getting closer.
That alone improved everyone's mood.
Especially Volt's.
"Real food."
He looked emotional.
"Actual civilization."
"People."
"Markets."
"Beds."
I rolled my eyes.
"You make it sound like we've been traveling for years."
"It feels like years."
Blaze nodded.
"Agreed."
"Not you too."
The sun slowly began lowering toward the horizon.
Another day nearing its end.
Soon we'd need to stop and camp again.
But if the map was accurate—
Helios Reach wasn't far now.
Maybe tomorrow.
Hopefully tomorrow.
I honestly couldn't wait.
Not because I liked Empire cities.
Far from it.
But because we desperately needed supplies.
Fuel.
Information.
Communication.
Answers.
Especially answers.
The Resistance silence continued hanging over all of us.
Even Volt seemed quieter whenever the topic came up.
Which was saying something.
As evening approached, the tank slowed slightly.
The golden sunlight painted the wasteland orange.
For a moment the scenery almost looked beautiful.
I stood beside Blaze watching the sunset.
The wind passed quietly around us.
Then I spoke.
"...Do you think everything is okay?"
Blaze looked toward me.
"With Headquarters?"
I nodded.
For once—
He didn't answer immediately.
That alone surprised me.
After several seconds he finally spoke.
"I don't know."
Not the answer I wanted.
But probably the honest one.
I sighed.
"Yeah."
The silence returned.
The T-80 continued moving.
One kilometer after another.
Closer to Helios Reach.
Closer to answers.
Closer to whatever awaited us.
The sky gradually darkened.
Stars slowly appearing above.
I stared at them quietly.
Wondering where everyone at Headquarters was.
Wondering if they were safe.
Wondering if they even knew I was alive.
Eventually Blaze noticed my expression.
Without saying anything—
He casually patted my shoulder.
The gesture surprised me.
Then he looked ahead toward the distant horizon.
Toward the faint lights barely visible far in the distance.
The first signs of civilization.
The first signs of Helios Reach.
And finally—
He spoke.
"Whatever's waiting for us..."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"We'll deal with it when we get there."
For some reason—
Hearing those words made me feel a little better.
The road ahead was uncertain.
The Empire waited.
Helios Reach waited.
And somewhere beyond that—
The Resistance waited.
Hopefully.
The T-80 continued rolling beneath the stars.
Carrying us toward whatever came next.